Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
This Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup is great for a cold winter night and it’s perfect for everyone who likes stuffed peppers made with rice! If you don’t want that many carbs, there’s also a low-carb version of this tasty soup made with cauliflower rice!
Click here to PIN Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup!
Sometimes an idea pops into my head and when I check online I notice that other people have had the same idea. That’s what happened with this Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe; I had stuffed pepper soup in my recipe ideas notebook for months, and when I decided to make it I found out just how many other people have made a soup inspired by stuffed peppers!
But that didn’t stop me from creating my version, which uses both hot turkey Italian sausage and lean ground beef, and has secret ingredient to add flavor. Jake and I both loved the soup, and when I gave my sister Pam some to take to work for her lunch she texted me in the middle of the day to say she loved it too.
If you like stuffed peppers at all, I promise you’re going to love this soup! The recipe makes a huge pot of soup, but this freezes well (although you’ll probably want to add a little stock or water when you reheat it, because the rice absorbs the liquid.) I hope you will try this one soon!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- cooked rice
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- onion
- Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link)
- green bell peppers
- brown Cremini mushrooms
- hot turkey or pork Italian sausage
- ground beef
- crushed tomatoes + 2 cans water
- canned beef broth (affiliate link)
- Worcestershire sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link)
- ketchup or sugar-free ketchup (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper
- freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional but good)
What’s the secret ingredient in this Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup?
The secret ingredient that adds amazing tomato flavor to this soup is sugar-free ketchup (affiliate link) or use regular ketchup if you prefer!
What if you don’t want spicy Sausage in the Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup?
You can definitely make the Stuffed Pepper Soup with mild Italian sausage if you prefer, or skip the sausage and double the amount of ground beef.
How high in carbs is this Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup?
This tasty soup with stuffed pepper flavors has about 25 net carbs per serving.
Want Low-Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup?
If you’d prefer Low-Carb Version of this tasty soup, just follow that link and make the version with cauliflower rice with only about 7 net carbs per serving.
How to Make Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I used my beloved rice cooker (affiliate link) to cook the rice, but you can cook using any method you prefer.
- I think browning the onions, peppers, and mushrooms in advance is really important to add flavor to the soup.
- Saute onions in olive oil until they’re starting to brown, then add the Italian Herb Blend and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Transfer to large soup pot.
- Saute the peppers in the same pan, cooking them until they’re getting just a slight char on the edges. Transfer peppers to soup pot.
- Mushrooms are probably optional in this, but I thought they were good. Saute the mushrooms until they’re released their liquid and are starting to brown, then transfer to the soup pot.
- I had a package of turkey Italian sausage with five links, and I was using two links for another recipe, so I just used the other three to test the recipe. I’d use the whole package for a meatier soup next time.
- Brown the ground beef and sausage together, cooking until it’s starting to get nicely browned.
- Then add the browned meat to the soup pot along with the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup (the secret ingredient) and simmer about 30 minutes. (I used an 8 quart soup pot to make this, but as you can see, it could have been a little smaller.)
- After the soup has cooked at least 30 minutes, add the rice (and a little more water if you think it’s needed) and let the soup simmer 15 minutes more.
- Season the Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve soup hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.
More Soup with Italian Sausage:
- Italian Sausage, Tomato, and Pesto Soup
- White Bean Sausage Soup (with Zucchini and Basil)
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe for Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
This Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup with hot Italian sausage and ground beef is perfect for a cold winter night! And everyone who likes sausage and peppers will enjoy this tasty soup.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice (see notes)
- 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, chopped fairly small
- 1 T Italian Herb Blend
- 2 green bell peppers, stems and seeds removed and chopped into pieces about 5/8 inch across
- 8 oz. brown Cremini mushrooms, washed if needed and then cut in half or fourths (see notes)
- one 19.5 oz. package hot turkey Italian sausage
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 15 oz. cans crushed tomatoes + 2 cans water
- 3 14 oz cans beef broth (see notes)
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional but good)
Instructions
- Cook long-grain white rice (I used Ben’s Original Converted Rice) according to package instructions to make 2 cups cooked rice. (I used my beloved rice cooker - affiliate link.)
- Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large frying pan, add chopped onion and saute over medium high heat until the onion is barely browned on the edges.
- Add Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Add onion to soup pot. (I used an 8 quart soup pot for this, but it could have been a little smaller.)
- In the same frying pan, add the chopped green pepper and saute until the edges have a slight char.
- Add peppers to soup pot.
- Then add the mushrooms to the same pan and cook until mushrooms release their liquid and are slightly browned.
- Add mushrooms to soup pot.
- Add the other 2 tsp. olive oil to the pan along with the ground beef and the sausage which you’ve squeezed out of the casing.
- Cook the meat until it’s nicely browned, turning several times and breaking apart with the back of the turner.
- Add browned meat to the soup pot along with the crushed tomatoes, 2 cans water, 3 cans beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup (I use Heinz reduced-sugar ketchup).
- Bring soup to a low simmer, then cook on low about 30 minutes.
- Add the rice and cook 15 minutes more, adding a little more water if you think it’s needed.
- Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper and serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
Notes
I used Ben’s Original Converted Rice, which is a low-glycemic variety of white rice. Mushrooms are optional in this soup, but good. Use about 5 cups homemade beef stock if you have some. I used Heinz Low-Sugar Ketchup (affiliate link).
This soup will keep for quite a few days in the fridge and also freezes well. The rice will absorb some of the liquid in the soup when it’s stored, so you’ll need to add a little water or beef stock when you reheat. For best flavor, reheat in a small pan on the stove.
Recipe created by Kalyn, possibly inspired by many other versions of Stuffed Pepper Soup found online.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 427Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 118mgSodium 1530mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 3gSugar 10gProtein 39g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Using the rice makes this Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup limited to Phase 2 or 3 for the Original South Beach Diet, and if you’re making it for South Beach I would recommend using Ben’s Original Converted Rice (affiliate link) or brown rice. This recipe has 25 net carbs per serving, but if you want fewer carbs, I have a tasty low-carb version of the recipe made with cauliflower rice!
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup with rice was first posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
37 Comments on “Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup”
I use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice in this delicious soup my family loves!
So glad everyone enjoyed it! And great minds think alike I guess because earlier this year I posted a recipe for Low-Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup that uses cauliflower rice!
Forgot to say, did not use Cauliflower rice, because I’m kind of tired of it from Keto – was still excellent! Thank you!
The Stuffed Pepper Soup was delicious!! Added Zucchini and yellow squash cuz I was trying to use that up. The addition of these veggies made it only possible to use 1 Quart of beef broth, and no water. It was incredible, we have leftovers for three more meals, which we froze. Also cooked in InstaPot. Both Hub and I enjoyed every bite. Thank you for this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! I like the idea of using zucchini and yellow squash in this.
Kaylyn I made this tonight and all I can say is, WOW!! My husband will eat any kind of soup 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. I've never been a huge soup lover myself but this was outstanding! I even went back for another 1/2 bowl which I never take 2nds but I couldn't resist. Thank you for this! I have a notebook full of printouts of your recipes and am working my way through them 🙂 No regrets yet and not a clunker in the bunch! Sometimes I can't even believe how healthy everything is considering the full flavors. I never feel cheated and always feel satisfied. (((Hugs)))
Janet, so glad you are enjoying the recipes so much! And big hug to you too!
I make a similar soup without the sausage, and I'll bet that Italian sausage adds just the right amount of zing! I'm sure your family party will be a hit with this soup on the table.
Lydia, I love the extra spiciness from the Italian Sausage. But then I am a freak for Italian Sausage, no doubt about that!
Kaylyn, I have been following your blog for years and I just want to say that I think you are the greatest! Your food is always spot on and over the years I can just tell you are a really good person! Thank you and happy holidays!
Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate the nice feedback. (And I do try hard to be a good person!) Happy Holidays to you too!
Immediately after the recipe there's a link for Calorie Count where you can enter the ingredients and calculate it.
Do you have any of the nutritional info on the soup? Cals specifically
Karen, so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this the other day & It's great! I would skip the ketchup next time…Sure was a hit!
Thanks Sadie! Sounds like you liked it as much as I did, so glad to hear that!
This was phenomenal! And great to heat up at work for lunch all week too. So glad soup weather is finally here. Another great recipe, thank you!
Thanks; I hope you enjoy it!
I am SO excited to try this recipe. It's such fun to add new recipes into our family favorites and I can see that this is something all of us will enjoy. That's rare for sure. 🙂
Bill so glad you liked it. And I'm intrigued by the idea of this with lentils or split peas.
This recipe immediately caught my eye and I wasted no time trying it. I planned to share it with someone who is allergic to rice (I know, who's allergic to rice? But my friend is. He loves all kinds of foods but rice causes him intense gastrointestinal distress)so I thought I might substitute orzo since it kind of looks like rice but then I decided to go with lentils since legumes are always good. Well, my grocery store only had lentils with ham flavor packets and that annoyed me because I hate processed foods and I was certainly not going to pay way more for a packet of fake ham flavor so I bought split peas. Which makes no sense but it was delicious!! It's amazing how much green pepper flavor I got with just the 2 peppers. This one goes into the permanent rotation.
Athena, I do think you can make this in the crockpot. I would probably omit the water. I haven't tried it though, that's the reason I didn't include that in the directions. I'd love to know how it turns out for you.
Hi Kalyn this recipe looks great. Do you think I could do this in the crockpot too?
I believe that! I belong to a CSA and make stuffed pepper soup at least three times in Autumn. With just my husband and I eating, I'm able to freeze smaller portions of soup to take for lunches all winter long.
I've also made it with frozen peppers that I've washed, chopped, and frozen in a zip bag to use in sauces or on pizza. It's a hearty and delicious soup!
Karen, good tip. I will have to try that next time. There wasn't a drop left to freeze from this first batch!
I like to use barley in my stuffed pepper soup. I find it tastes the same as rice, but holds its shape a after freezing. The rice tends to "explode" and break done when it's been frozen.
Gwen, so glad you like it. And it sounds like I should do another post about Uncle Ben's rice. Love it; just about the only type of rice I buy.
Oh, I didn't know Uncle Ben's was lower glycemic! This is such a fantastic idea. Turning one of our favorite meals into an even simpler version for busy weeknights. Who doesn't love soup?
Luana, of course you are free to make it any way you'd like. No worries. I do feel like browning the vegetables and meat adds a lot of flavor, so that's why I do it that way, but I'm sure it will still be good without that.
I could easily do this in one pot, cooking onions, peppers and mushrooms together, and not precooking sausage but would just remove from casings and let cook in soup with liquid and everything else. Sorry, but I hate clean up!
Mom Chef, thanks for that nice feedback! I did love the sausage in this. And the perfect results are another reason I love Uncle Ben's!
Others may have come up with the idea, but I think yours looks delicious. I love that you used spicy turkey sausage in there. What great flavor it must have given. I've been a huge fan of Uncle Ben's for decades and it's the only kind I use. I didn't know that it was low glycemic either, I just know it cooks up perfectly every time. 🙂
Thanks Donna; we loved it!
KatesMom, you could certainly do it that way. I wanted to keep the rice as white as possible, and I thought it might absorb color if I cooked it with the tomatoey soup broth, plus I was going to saute all the vegetables so the rice could be cooking at the same time for a shorter total cooking time. But either way would absolutely work.
Kalyn, I love stuffed peppers, and I'm definitely going to try this. I'm curious as to why you cook the rice separately rather than let it cook in the soup (adding extra water to compensate for what the rice will absorb, of course).
I'll bet this is packed with flavor!
Thanks Jeanette! Yes, Uncle Ben's is about the lowest GI Rice you can buy. I've checked it repeatedly on various charts, and Uncle Ben's is always lower GI than white or brown rice.
So interesting – I had not idea that Uncle Ben's Converted Rice was low glycemic – great to know. Love this idea of stuffed pepper in soup form Kalyn!